The ProblemWith 5.2 million diagnosed asthmatics in the UK, Asthma is a common disease which affects both adults and children. Of these 5.2 million asthmatics, 1.1 million are children. Asthma is a condition that has been around for many years and has caused around 1400 deaths per year, of which 90% are preventable. [1]

The numbers of asthma cases have been high due to environmental changes, familial history and lifestyle choices such as smoking during pregnancy to name but a few. It is a chronic condition that affects the airways, causing breathing difficulties. The condition has different levels, long-lasting or recurrent. Mild forms of asthma can affect people, as can very severe cases of asthma. Sufferers of asthma have a lower supply of air to and from the lungs. As this serious condition affects so many people, can it actually be cured?

What is Asthma?Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways of sufferers. The inside walls of the airways are inflamed or swollen. This inflammation makes your airways very sensitive to any form of irritations and causes an allergic reaction to occur. As the airways become inflamed, they become narrower, restricting the flow of air to and from the lungs. This air restriction causes symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and also breathing difficulties. These symptoms are more likely to be experienced at night or in the early morning hours. [2] Many causes and triggers of asthma have been identified. Dust, paint and pet hairs are just a few of the identified examples. [1]

Below is a diagram of a normal and an asthmatic bronchiole: [pic] Words: 299
The SolutionA solution for treating asthma would be the use of inhalers. This is the most common treatment for asthma, and is much more effective than tablets or liquid by mouth. There are two main types of inhalers, reliever inhalers and preventer inhalers. Inhalers contain drugs that are delivered directly to the lungs. [3] Relievers (Blue), e.g. Salbutamol, contain bronchodilator drugs which widen the bronchi so that more air can pass through, making breathing easier. This is a fast treatment to relieve symptoms and is only usually used when needed.

Preventers (Brown), e.g. Pulmicort, contain steroids that reduce the inflammation in the airways. When the inflammation has gone, it is much less likely for the airways to narrow and cause symptoms. This is not an immediate reliever of pain as it takes 7-14 days for the drug to build up its effect. This reduces the need to use a reliever inhaler, as symptoms more or less disappear. [4]

Is the solution appropriate?The use of inhalers is appropriate as the steroids they contain to treat asthma are corticosteroids. These are imitations of the natural steroid that is produced in our bodies. [1] Also as these steroids are inhaled, a tiny amount is absorbed into the body, as they go directly into the lungs. Also the dose supplied through the inhaler is a very mild dosage, so therefore will not have any major side effect on the body. The drug also acts faster as it travels directly into the lung. Hence, inhalers are considered as the best treatment for asthma because of the effectiveness of the doses taken.

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Implications of solution to problemA sufferer’s social life can become damaged due to having asthma, therefore it has social implications. This is due to asthmatic patients needing to carry their inhalers around to treat an attack if it occurs. This is not an average thing to do within the realm of a critical society so it is deemed as a social issue of asthma. Undoubtedly, sufferers feel outcast as they are perceived differently to others and cannot socialise in the way that others can. This is because the younger generation of today, usually socialises through smoking or physically demanding activities, football. These are both difficult to perform or even more harmful to...

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...What is Asthma?
Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that carry air to and from the lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.
The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are swollen or inflamed. This swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases susceptibility to an allergic reaction.
As inflammation causes the airways to become narrower, less air can pass through them, both to and from the lungs. Symptoms of the narrowing include wheezing (a hissing sound while breathing), chest tightness, breathing problems, and coughing. Asthmatics usually experience these symptoms most frequently during the night and the early morning.
Types of Asthma
Child-Onset AsthmaAsthma that begins during childhood is called child-onset asthma. This type of asthma happens because a child becomes sensitized to common allergens in the environment - most likely due to genetic reasons. The child is atopic - a genetically determined state of hypersensitivity to environmental allergens.
Allergens are any substances that the body will treat as a foreign body, triggering an immune response. These vary widely between individuals and often include animal proteins, fungi, pollen, house-dust mites and some kind of dust. The airway cells are sensitive to particular materials...

...The Effects of Asthma on Teens
My Capstone Project is on Asthma. The patient, a high school cheerleader, named Tammy is 17-years old and has been diagnosed with asthma. Tammy is an active teenager who attends many social events. After high school, she plans to attend View University on a cheerleading scholarship. Tammy is nervous about living away from home and has trouble controlling her asthma. It is very important for Tammy to understand what asthma, how to control it and if it will have an effect on her activities.
Asthma is a disease that affects the airways that carry air to and from the lungs. Patients who suffer with the chronic condition are said to be asthmatic (Medical News Today, 2011). Asthma occurs when the inside walls of an asthmatic’s airways are swollen and inflamed. The swelling and inflammation makes the airways sensitive to irritations and increases the susceptibility to an allergic reaction. Inflammation causes the airways to become narrow, causing less air to pass through them, both to and from the lungs. Due to the narrowing, a patient will experience wheezing, chest tightness, breathing problems and coughing. Wheezing is the high pitched whistling sound that you may hear as you breather when air flow is obstructed in the lung. Wheezing may occur at the beginning of an...

...Asthma: The Causes and Symptoms
Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages of the lung
periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. When Henry was
little he was diagnosed with asthma. Now carries an inhaler with him to help keep him from
having asthma attacks. Many people experience asthma symptoms everyday. Asthma can be
controlled by avoiding triggers such as dust or smoke.
There are three symptoms of asthma. The first symptom is airway obstruction. In people with asthma, allergy-causing substances and environmental triggers make bands of muscle surrounding the airways tighten, and air cannot move freely. For example, Dan was jogging through a park with many blossoming flowers. He started sneezing and became short of breath due to the pollen floating around in the air. The second symptom is inflammation. People with asthma have red swollen bronchial tubes, which are airways of the lungs. This inflammation is thought to contribute greatly to the long-term damage asthma can cause to the lungs. For example, Mark has had inflammation for years and now has severe damage to his lungs. And, therefore, treating this inflammation is the key to managing asthma in the long run.
The third symptom is airway...

...A report ON ASTHMA
By Asma Javidshaikh
The aim of this report is to let people know about Asthma
This report is based on internet search, books and medical journals were consulted as appropriate.
Intrduction
Asthma is defined by the Global Initiative for Asthma as "a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. The chronic inflammation is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing particularly at night or in the early morning. These episodes are usually associated with widespread, but variable airflow obstruction within the lung that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment".
Asthma attack
An acute asthma exacerbation is commonly referred to as an asthma attack. The classic symptoms are shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. While these are the primary symptoms of asthma, some people present primarily with coughing, and in severe cases, air motion may be significantly impaired such that no wheezing is heard.
Signs which occur during an asthma attack include the use of accessory muscles of respiration (sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles of the neck), there may be a paradoxical pulse (a pulse that is weaker during inhalation and stronger during...

...Evje
3/10/13
ASTHMAAsthma is a lung disease that is chronic and it aggravates and tightens the airways of a person. Asthmacause recurring periods of wheezing, which is a whistling sound when a person breathes, tightness in the chest area, a shortness of breath, and coughing. Coughing mostly happens at night time or either early in the morning. The airways are the tubes that carries air in and out of the lungs, so it is difficult for a person who has asthma because their airways are swollen and sensitive, the muscles around the airways become tight and makes the airway narrow, which causes the airflow to the lungs to decrease. The cells in the airway can possibly make more mucus than it usually does; a thick and sticky substance is causing the airways to narrow even more.
The causes of asthma is not exactly known, however, researchers have reason to believe that there are genetic and environmental reason that interact and causeasthma, in the early part of life. Some of the reasons are parents who have asthma, childhood respiratory infections, and inherited tendencies, viral infections in infancy, and airborne allergens, mostly during their early childhood. The triggers of asthma can differ from person to person. Tobacco Smoke or secondhand smoke is a trigger for asthma because...

...The Asthma Epidemic:
Diagnosis, Treatments and Management, all prospects towards a better future
Asthma is a multifactorial chronic disorder that has displayed a significant increase in prevalence and incidence worldwide over the past two decades, particularly in developed countries (Hazeldine, 2013). The World Health Organization estimates that 235 million people currently suffer from this common respiratory condition. Despite this growth, over that same period of time, global asthma mortality has clearly decreased, corresponding with marked advances in asthma diagnosis and management. Nonetheless, the majority of occurring deaths are preventable (Rebuck, 2013). Concerted efforts to find and improve asthma treatments, diagnostic tools and management strategies are imperative to further reduce the burden of this disease, its morbidity rate and prevent its onset. Asthma remains under-diagnosed, under-treated and an overall descriptive term. Although, there is no universally recognized precise definition, asthma is commonly defined as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways that causes recurrent airflow obstruction and airway hyper responsiveness characterized by wheezing, dyspnea, intermittent chest tightness and shortness of breath, and is reversible on treatment (Rees, Kanadar, Pattani, 2010).
This research paper aims to provide a concise overview...

...Populations
Spring
Asthma
In America alone, about 1 in 12 people have asthma (CDC). “Asthma is the most common respiratory ailments in the United States. Asthma is more dangerous than Smoking.
Combining smoking with asthma is one of the major causes of death for people with asthma. There are many different types of asthma. Treatment depends on the type ofasthma and its environmental triggers.
Definition
Asthma is a chronic potentially life-threatening airway disease. In this disease, inflammation in the lungs causes narrow, swollen airways, increased mucus, shortness of breath, chest tightening, coughing and wheezing. Asthma can crop up at any age. The Inflammation also causes an associated increase in the existing bronchial hyper responsiveness to a variety of stimuli (Health professionals 2013). There are many cells and cellular elements that play a key role in the inflammation of airways, in particular, mast cells, eosinophils, t lymphocytes, airway macrophages, neutrophils, and epithelial cells (Health professionals 2013). Most asthma attack or episodes are followed by a widespread but variable airflow obstruction that is reversible with treatment or goes away on its own.
There are many types of asthma. Some of the most common types...